Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson has fired back in response to a report by crypto research firm K33 Research that questioned the utility of Cardano’s native token, ADA.
In a bold retort earlier this week, the founder of Cardano downplayed the credibility of the research firm, setting the stage for a contentious debate within the cryptocurrency community.
Published on Monday, the report, titled “Why you should sell all your ADA (Cardano)”, contended that ADA lacks meaningful use and value. Notably, a smart contract network’s native token needs substantial use to hold any value. The firm, however, argued that ADA lacks such utility, adding that there was no credible path toward achieving it. The firm also highlighted the absence of proof of ADA’s utilization beyond exchange transfers and alleged artificial activity by holders.
One of the critical points in the report revolved around the stablecoin market on Cardano. While other networks thrive with stablecoins like USDT or USDC dominating DeFi altcoin investing, the firm argued that Cardano is lagging. It pointed out the limited presence of Cardano-collateralized stablecoins valued below one dollar, signalling the network’s lack of meaningful decentralized finance (DeFi) activity.
The firm further predicted a bleak future for Cardano akin to past blockchain projects such as IOTA, NEO, and EOS. The firm argued that successful blockchains must grow organically from real use rather than being propelled by inflated hype and subsidized bootstrapping.
“Cardano has an enticing story for newcomers, with Cardano being branded as “the peer-reviewed research-driven blockchain network…still, all price signals also point to Ada gradually disappearing from the crypto map. ADA has not rallied in line with other ‘stronger’ smart contract tokens when markets have improved, which is a strong indicator of a dying coin,” the firm stated.
Meanwhile, in a dismissive response to the criticism, Charles Hoskinson questioned the identity of K33 Research, expressing ignorance with a straightforward, “Who? Never heard of them.”
Hoskinson’s reaction resonated within the ADA community, with some criticizing K33 Research for what they perceived as a targeted attack on the network. Particularly, “ADA Whale”, a prominent ADA commentator, voiced skepticism over the report, stating, “FYI: this is not how a serious research paper reads or looks like.” He went on to invite the firm’s researchers, urging them to examine what he described as “a fact-based thread on Cardano” that he shared last week.
Notably, this recent critique is not the first time Cardano has faced skepticism. Hoskinson has previously defended the network from claims that it is a “ghost chain”, lacks a working product, and is too decentralized.
Nevertheless, despite these challenges, Cardano stands resilient and is currently the eighth-largest cryptocurrency with a market capitalization of $17.9 billion. Moreover, it maintains its status as the second-largest crypto asset by staking market capitalization, underscoring its continued relevance in cryptocurrency.
